“Last March, after four years of challenging behavior and aggression that could not be treated with training or medication or consistent loving dog ownership, Lamby went to live at an amazing professional facility in Los Angeles. Lamby suffered terrible abuse as a pup that made having him in a typical home environment dangerous to him and others- we needed to be responsible to ourselves, our neighbors and especially our beloved boy. Jack and I will miss him forever but sometimes when you love something you have to let it go (especially when it requires tetanus shots and stitches.) Someday I’ll really write about the pain and relief of letting Lamby go off and really be Lamby, biting and peeing in his own mouth and all … Shout out to @jennikonner for listening to endless hours of Lamby pain, and especially my partner @jackantonoff for loving him even when he ruined floors and couches and our life. Jack knows what Lamby means to me and he let me come to the decision in my own time even when it made his days challenging … If you have a similar situation, please know its possible to responsibly re-home your rescue rather than sending them back into the shelter system. It can require patience, diligence and often a financial contribution but there are solutions that leave everyone happy and safe. You will always have been your dog’s first stop outside shelter life and that’s beautiful.”

Dunham previously claimed in a March 2013 New Yorker essay that Lamby had three prior homes and a history of abuse, and lamented that the dog didn’t get along with her longtime boyfriend, Jack Antonoff.

In 2014, the actress posted a since-deleted photo of her bleeding rear end and claimed Lamby bit her because he was scared of their doorbell, but noted that the dog had “special needs” and “an amazing trainer.”

However, BARC refuted Dunham’s claims that Lamby was abused prior to Dunham’s adoption.

“We checked the records for Lamby. He was ‘owner surrendered, not enough time,’ so we do not know where she got ‘multiple owners that abused the dog,'” BARC rep Robert Vazquez told Yahoo Celebrity.

“When she adopted the dog from us, it wasn’t crazy. I have pictures of the dog loving on Lena and her mom, which is weird if the dog was abused. It wouldn’t be cuddling with her or be in the bed with her ‘boyfriend’ in the pages of Vogue.”

“If Lamby had a bad past or was abused, do you think BARC would have adopted him to Lena knowing she’s a new star and put her — or the dog — in that situation? We would have told her if the dog had issues,” he fumed. “We are a no-kill shelter. We don’t lie about the dogs’ histories because that gets them returned — and mentally it’s not good for dogs … It’s just hard to believe the dog was nasty when she took Lamby to every green room with her when ‘Girls’ was still a thing 4 years ago.”

Vazquez also took issue with Dunham’s debuting two new puppies on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” in February, a month before she claims to have surrendered Lamby to his new home.

“[She] didn’t admit she bought her two new dogs [despite writing in the] New Yorker that dogs shouldn’t be dumped or thrown away because they have feelings,” Vazquez said.

A Zen Dog employee defended Dunham’s decision to leave Lamby in their hands, explaining that perhaps Dunham and Antonoff just loved Lamby a little too much.

“Thousands of dog owners, my wife @brooklinbeisner and I once included, have been violently blindsided by our ‘sweet, loving, happy, excited, playful, cuddly dogs,'” Matt Beisner wrote on Instagram. “I’ve found that other than neglect or abuse, the number one cause for bad behavior, including aggression, is inappropriate or excessive human affection. Too much ‘sugar.’ I understand that BARC’s commitment to the welfare of the animals they rescue is deep and true. And I know Lena Dunham to be a sincere and compassionate rescue owner. But there is more to consider. Such is the way of #THEZENDOG.”

“It’s come to my attention that the staff at the shelter where I adopted Lamby have a very different account of his early life and behavioral issues than I do. While I’m sorry to have disappointed them, I can’t apologize,” she wrote. “Lamby was and is one of the great loves of my life … But his aggression – which was unpredictable- and his particular issues, which remain myriad, weren’t manageable, at least not by me. I did what I thought the best mother would do, which was to give him a life that provided for his specific needs. He’d been with me for nearly four years and I was his mom- I was in the best position to discern what those needs were. After countless hours of training, endless financial support and a lot of tears he was given access to a better life. I still support him financially and I’ll always be there for him in every way but he’s notably happier in his new surroundings.”

She continued, “I would never say an unkind word about the staff of BARC, what they do is amazing and life saving for these animals- but we have different accounts of Lamby’s behavior and they were not present in my home nor did they live with him for an extended period. They did not witness the consistent and responsible care I provided.”

While Dunham’s care for and rehousing of Lamby may have been well-intentioned, it could pose legal problems: BARC’s contract, like many other adoption shelters, requires owners to return their dogs to the shelter from which they came if they can no longer provide adequate care.

Vazquez stated, “Really the only thing we can say is that she is still under contract, which states that if it doesn’t work out, they have to bring back the dog to us, so we can evaluate it.”

BARC founder and director Vincent Spinola told Page Six, “We are saddened to learn that Lena Dunham’s dog has been given away for showing aggressive behavior towards the actress in the month’s leading up to her surrendering the animal to a facility out of state.”

“When the dog was here at BARC, where he lived with us for just under a month before he was adopted, he was mild mannered and very well behaved. There were no signs of bad temperament or any kind of aggression … the dog became a favorite of our staff and volunteers during his stay here, but of course, we were all delighted to see him go off to a loving home,” he added.

Spinola also noted that the organization followed up with Dunham more than once to check in on Lamby’s adjustment, but their efforts were ignored.

“We followed our normal protocol whenever adopting out an animal here at BARC,” Spinola told us. “As part of our procedure during our 32 years of operation, we had reached out to follow up with Ms. Dunham after she adopted the dog to check on how they were all settling in — but we never heard back from her. If a family of an adoptee reaches out or expresses any unhappiness or behavioral concerns about the animal, we have an open door policy here and ask that the dog be returned to our shelter. Unfortunately, that was not the case with Ms. Dunham. We regret we did not have had the opportunity to consult with Ms. Dunham as the care of our animals and their owners is our utmost priority.”

Still, not everyone is angry with Dunham.

Humane Society of the United States vice president Michelle Cho said in a statement via Dunham’s reps, “Every dog is an individual with unique needs and all are deserving of a family or guardian in an environment in which he or she can thrive. We are deeply grateful to Lena and Jack for finding Lamby a loving home where he can do just that. Lena is a wonderful advocate for dog adoption and hope she will continue to use her platform to spotlight the homeless animal crisis and urge her legions of fans to consider rescuing.”